Doomsday Preppers

[MikeK]

I haven't watched this one, but I probably will check out an episode for laughs. The concept is not appealing to me any more than building a fall out shelter during the cold war appealed to me. While we do have a few days provisions on hand at any time--that is common sense especially in the winter--I just can't see stocking up a survival warehouse and holing up knowing my neighbors are beating on the door or sitting starving on my roof. I'll just take my chances with everybody else.

(And though it would tear my heart out, I could shoot our critters rather than watch them suffer or be kidnapped and butchered for food.)

Healthy attitude.

 

[Swagger]

I wouldn't call myself a dedicated "prepper", eagerly awaiting society's collapse. But I do find the movement fascinating and have taken certain measures to ensure our safety/prosperity.

Personally speaking, I think that the likelihood of society as we know it being swept away by a nuclear war is remote nowadays. We're more likely to be faced with food shortages in the event of our respective currencies being rendered useless in the face of mounting fiscal debt. Marshal law would be declared and the police would be authorised to shoot looters on sight in order to cleave back authority at street level, and perhaps order could be restored.

But dwell on the implications of "restored", and I think you get closer to understanding the what drives the bomb-shelter set. Many of these preppers/survivalists are on low income jobs and crave some unexpected imbalance in society to carve a better life for themselves. A lot of recent arrivals on the scene have lost their homes to forclosure and are seeking a way out. And there comes the positive side of the movement.

Established preppers are incredibly resourceful and industrious, and are hives of innovation and ideas, and are more than happy to share the sometimes breathtaking skills and knowledge they've aquired through hours of studying how to rebuild society from the bottom up. They've taught themselves how to build comfortable housing out of reclaimed materials, all to spec and building codes/regulations. They're gifted hunters. They know how to farm intensively. They've essentially prepared themselves for the role of town planner. And they more than happy to spend hours online on forums and blogs, providing invaluable advice to families who have lost everything in a pre-apocalyptic landscape. Go to the survivalist forums and I guarantee you that you'll find many accounts of people who've used the free advice and information on these boards to buy a cheap patch of land, build a comfortable abode out of reclaimed materials and live a productive life with their children in school. I'd even go so far as to wager that these people are tacitly ridiculed by the powers-that-be because they've successfully gone "off grid" and are self-sufficient to the extent that they don't rely on energy and water providers or large supermarkets. The establishment feels threatened by that kind of lifestyle becoming more mainstream, so they'll do all they can to discourage and ridicule it to protect their profit margins.

 

[catzmeow]

How do these people afford to do all this? My guess is they run up a ton of debt in doing so, which ironically makes them a big part of the problem that in many cases they are preparing for.

I don't know how "they" do it, but when we go shopping we always buy a little extra. 2 cans of coffee instead of one, and one goes into storage. I did spend some money on some long term storage food that was on sale at Costco but when you include the water barrel and everything that came with it, it was a bargain, plus you have all that food you can eat.

Our superWalmart sells long term storage food, my friend buys one bucket or one #10 can per month. It doesn't take long to have some food put away. Of course those spending all that money on guns and ammo, that I don't know how they can afford.

We used to be encouraged to have emergency supplies put away, now they call them preppers and put them on the terrorist watch list. I don't understand.

The difficulting in keeping a 3 month surplus of food is ensuring that you circulate that food and use it by it's expiration date. If you don't, you will end up wasting a lot of money.

 

[whitehall]

There are about a hundred programs on the "reality" networks like History channel and Nat-Geo but they are under no legal obligation to disclosed that some or all of the shows are faked or dramatized. Let's face it, reality is boring and the networks know it so they spice up the shows with drama. Drama is a polite term for fake. The networks admit that the storage locker auctions are spiked with stuff that wasn't in the lockers when the auction was going on. The fights and the conflicts are faked. What paranoid prepper in his right mind would allow a film crew in his home and disclose where he hides his weapons? It's fiction folks.

 

[LoudMcCloud]

Who else catches this show?
If you are not familiar with what the show is - it is a show that highlites 2-3 "preppers" each episode. Showing how they are "prepping" for their particular belief in a doomsday event.
From storing food and weapons, "bug out" facilities that are sometimes quite large underground complexes with running water and solar energy.

It is a neat show. I am not a prepper per say, although I would estimate we have about 3-4 weeks worth of food at any given time and 2-3 cases of bottled water. But that should be just common sense given natural disasters, snowed-in, possible longer term power outages ect.

At any rate - what do some of you think about the show?

She is just eating a bunch of GMOs and wont last longer than a year. Its funny how people think they have a chance. But, I guess we all have to try.

 

[Ringel05]

Who else catches this show?
If you are not familiar with what the show is - it is a show that highlites 2-3 "preppers" each episode. Showing how they are "prepping" for their particular belief in a doomsday event.
From storing food and weapons, "bug out" facilities that are sometimes quite large underground complexes with running water and solar energy.

It is a neat show. I am not a prepper per say, although I would estimate we have about 3-4 weeks worth of food at any given time and 2-3 cases of bottled water. But that should be just common sense given natural disasters, snowed-in, possible longer term power outages ect.

At any rate - what do some of you think about the show?

She is just eating a bunch of GMOs and wont last longer than a year. Its funny how people think they have a chance. But, I guess we all have to try.

Dante?

 

[LoudMcCloud]

Nope, Turner.

 

[Ringel05]

Nope, Turner.

Hello Dante. Interesting new sock...... Argyle?

 

[LoudMcCloud]

I am lost as a puppy in the woods.

 

[Wicked Jester]

I am lost as a puppy in the woods.

You lil' fucker!

 

[LoudMcCloud]

ARe you a webmaster?

 

[Wicked Jester]

ARe you a webmaster?

Nope!......i'm a Wicked Jester....you sly lil' fucker!

 

[Ringel05]

Ya know, when I first read the thread title I was expecting to read about the new nuclear hot peppers....... and wondering why this wasn't in the food section..... under fresh produce.......

 

[editec]

I think it would be a damned good idea if we all took some steps to prepare for a breakdown of the system.

Sadly many (most?) Americans are not really in a position to buy or warehouse stores for emergency (or catastrophic) situations.

I believe the very BEST preparation for catastrophe isn't your stocks of food, or guns or specie, its being part of a COMMUNITY that can be there to help each out when things so south.

So a truly effect PREPPER isn't working alone and stocking up, but is also working in conjunction with his neighbors to help prepare THEM for such disasters, too.

Food for though, eh?

 

[Michelle420]

I think it would be a damned good idea if we all took some steps to prepare for a breakdown of the system.

Sadly many (most?) Americans are not really in a position to buy or warehouse stores for emergency (or catastrophic) situations.

I believe the very BEST preparation for catastrophe isn't your stocks of food, or guns or specie, its being part of a COMMUNITY that can be there to help each out when things so south.

So a truly effect PREPPER isn't working alone and stocking up, but is also working in conjunction with his neighbors to help prepare THEM for such disasters, too.

Food for though, eh?

My neighborhood has an emergency plan and everyone has a pre-assigned job and meetup spots to assist others.

My Fiance is really into preparedness I never was interested that much until we met.

 

[Ready2Prep]

I was looking for a kind of survival "camper" if you will but came across something so much better! I never came across any products that fit my ideals quite the way I wanted them until I did some serious digging and found this guy [the name is bibo outfitters] This man from FLA actually designed these and put the idea together perfectly. You name it he's got it! He has came up with a trailer small enough to fit in my garage and pull behind my s.u.v. cant ask for better than that. This thing is loaded with all the things you would need in ANY survival situation! He's got gas masks and suits for the chemical warfare, he also has this thing stocked with a 30 day supply of food, water and shower, a bed to sleep 4 or more (depending on size) comfortably on a BED off the ground. Grill, propane, gun safe you name it this guy has it! I'm hoping to contact him later in the week I want to be one of the first to get my hands on this. I've been to many other sites and expos this trailer takes the cake, check it out people!!!!

 

[Againsheila]

I was looking for a kind of survival "camper" if you will but came across something so much better! I never came across any products that fit my ideals quite the way I wanted them until I did some serious digging and found this guy [the name is bibo outfitters] This man from FLA actually designed these and put the idea together perfectly. You name it he's got it! He has came up with a trailer small enough to fit in my garage and pull behind my s.u.v. cant ask for better than that. This thing is loaded with all the things you would need in ANY survival situation! He's got gas masks and suits for the chemical warfare, he also has this thing stocked with a 30 day supply of food, water and shower, a bed to sleep 4 or more (depending on size) comfortably on a BED off the ground. Grill, propane, gun safe you name it this guy has it! I'm hoping to contact him later in the week I want to be one of the first to get my hands on this. I've been to many other sites and expos this trailer takes the cake, check it out people!!!!

The problem that jumps out at me is in a survival situation, you're not going to be able to pull that thing, the roads will be blocked. I think I'd rather have a bomb shelter.

 

[g5000]

People who think Jesus is coming back in our lifetime, people who think Planet X is going to crash into Earth soon, and every other variety of doomsayers you will ever meet are all assholes.

The mentality at work is that they cannot wait for the world to end and to see all their perceived enemies get what is coming to them. These twisted freaks want to see everyone else suffer, and suffer badly. They want to be firsthand eyewitnesses to the pain and suffering of others.

Fuck those assholes. They have serious psychological problems. They are projecting their misery of being alive onto the whole world.

And then there are the ones who want civilization to collapse so they can get down to the business of shooting darkies at will.

Fuck those losers, too.

 

[MikeK]

There are about a hundred programs on the "reality" networks like History channel and Nat-Geo but they are under no legal obligation to disclosed that some or all of the shows are faked or dramatized. Let's face it, reality is boring and the networks know it so they spice up the shows with drama. Drama is a polite term for fake. The networks admit that the storage locker auctions are spiked with stuff that wasn't in the lockers when the auction was going on. The fights and the conflicts are faked. What paranoid prepper in his right mind would allow a film crew in his home and disclose where he hides his weapons? It's fiction folks.

That might be true in some cases but certainly not in all. I believe a good percentage of these so-called "preppers" aren't actually expecting any kind of apocalyptic breakdown of organized society. Rather they are responding to the same hoarding instinct that motivates others to obsessively accumulate excessive amounts of money. Both categories lack any sense of community and enjoy the fantasy of being safe and secure while others are starving and suffering around them.

Essentially, they are manifest misers.

 

[Againsheila]

There are about a hundred programs on the "reality" networks like History channel and Nat-Geo but they are under no legal obligation to disclosed that some or all of the shows are faked or dramatized. Let's face it, reality is boring and the networks know it so they spice up the shows with drama. Drama is a polite term for fake. The networks admit that the storage locker auctions are spiked with stuff that wasn't in the lockers when the auction was going on. The fights and the conflicts are faked. What paranoid prepper in his right mind would allow a film crew in his home and disclose where he hides his weapons? It's fiction folks.

That might be true in some cases but certainly not in all. I believe a good percentage of these so-called "preppers" aren't actually expecting any kind of apocalyptic breakdown of organized society. Rather they are responding to the same hoarding instinct that motivates others to obsessively accumulate excessive amounts of money. Both categories lack any sense of community and enjoy the fantasy of being safe and secure while others are starving and suffering around them.

Essentially, they are manifest misers.

First of all, I will say that most of the people on those shows are idiots, second of all, anyone who doesn't have enough supplies for a minimum of 3 months (a year would be better) is an idiot. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we know the Cascadia Earthquake is coming. It could be anytime between now and a thousand years from now, but when it hits, we will be cut off. Buildings will fall, there will be a tsunami that will hit Japan, and they'll be another one that goes up the Columbia River and wipes out Hanford. Only an idiot wouldn't try to be prepared. Even if the earthquake doesn't come in our life time, there are still storms that knock out power, economic disasters, etc. It was our being prepared that helped us get through the 3 years of hell that my husband was unemployed. We lived off of the food we stashed and spent very little money on food.

Every hear of the Boy Scout motto? "Be Prepared!" Only an idiot, or someone who believes they have the right to steal from others when things are bad, doesn't prepare.